


Solace

by Chromophilic_Daydream



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Bittersweet, Established Relationship, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, November Spoilers Mentioned., rooftop bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-18
Updated: 2018-09-18
Packaged: 2019-07-14 00:07:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16028870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chromophilic_Daydream/pseuds/Chromophilic_Daydream
Summary: In even the briefest of moments, Ren raised Goro’s spirit to such heights that he felt it almost impossible to come down from that sensation. Ren bloomed some unspoken desire inside of him that made him crave for more. For the first time in his life, he felt wanted for himself rather than for the glamour of his growing popularity in the media… or what powers loomed inside his heart. For the first time in his life, he could forget that his journey had an end, and that end was just a few months away.





	Solace

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nmaliz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nmaliz/gifts).



> Just a little something I've been working on.  
> Thank you to [Reiko](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Selvanic) and [Kaykee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainRessentiment) for betaing and to Liz for hitting me up with some comfort prompts.

There had been a lot on Goro’s mind recently; a labored amount of thoughts and anxiety tangled up into a hopeless knot that tied up all amounts of free time he allowed himself to partake in. As such, it had been distracting in a way that novels, crossword puzzles and paperwork—his usual respites—could not begin to alleviate. No, he found himself all too often wistfully staring at words in the story he had been so eagerly invested in a few months previous without allowing the narrative to stick to him. Like a sponge already filled with water, it could no longer gather additional liquid. He couldn’t recall evidence stated in the book, much like he couldn’t find the words to finish the crossword puzzle that had been sitting on his coffee table since August.  His attention span wouldn’t allow for even a moment’s reprieve. 

There were more pressing matters at hand than the culprit in his novel and another word for  _ seeking peace and comfort with another _ , _ 9 across _ . The Phantom Thieves had made themselves known and he had his mission that seemingly directly interfered with their own. He had watched them disappear in front of Okumura Foods. He had watched Amamiya Ren lead the way.

Because of course, he had.

It was no great secret that there was something drawing him to the other.

But now, at least, he knew what that was beside their mutual attraction.

At least now he knew why there had been something insidiously eating away at him every time they met up after he helped solve the issue Kitagawa found himself mixed up in. Rather, their goals aligned by chance in the end. Regardless, that lead to more and more time where they soaked up each other’s company and conjectures as they worked together on a very bland and very, in Goro’s opinion, obvious case. But he didn’t hate spending time with Ren, so he allowed himself to flounder around rather than put the pieces together.

Since then, their rendezvous had always been something spontaneous and exciting, besides the dauntless dread that pooled in his stomach when he couldn’t help but wonder if his hunch about the Phantom Thieves weaned on in the back of his mind when they exchanged their intimate moments.

It was something he couldn’t turn off, his brain winding around the singular thought that Amamiya Ren was more than he seemed. And it appeared fate had rewarded his inquisitions because it presented him with the grotesque punchline to the most sickening joke.

Seemed that’s all his life was nowadays: someone’s humorous prank.

Since then, his patronage to the cafe that brought him so much peace and quiet had been sparse. Ren had certainly noticed that their usual games of chess had been speckled here and there through the month, but Goro informed him he was just busy. Busy trying to get through his book in reality, though he had scarcely turned through ten pages in the entire two weeks since he had last seen Ren. His last visit was a formality defaulted to habit rather than desire but he couldn’t help the way the barista, who was surprised to see him, brightened up his day considerably without even trying.

He didn’t know what it was about him, really. He was plainly unremarkable underneath those fashionable glasses that Goro could tell were fake. His eyes were a dull grey color, no more interesting than the splatter of rain on the cityscape, and his features were sharp but average. The sweep of unruly hair was perfectly normal as well for a Japanese teenager. Altogether, Amamiya Ren was just a soft-spoken, run-of-the-mill person. He was hardly anyone that should have caught Akechi Goro’s attention.

Yet, he caught it all the same and with an effortless ease that masked itself in a cunning smile; it almost made the detective burn with embarrassment. Almost. For someone as meek as Ren seemed, the authority he held in his voice when expressing his direct opposition to the views Goro held had pulverized the first impression he had to the dust with that ever soft grin. There was more to him than met the eye, and that was exciting business for the detective.

Had he been a bit more shameful, it would have made him more reproachful in his interactions with the other, but it did the opposite. It ignited him in ways he had never experienced before. Like the hunger of a hunt that aided itself not just to the thrill of opposition but to equality as well. That’s how Ren made him feel: like an  _ equal _ . And it was something Goro was not used to, someone looking at him with an even coolness that sparked a connection between them. It wasn’t hard to notice that he developed an infatuation with Ren, and it wasn’t hard to notice that Ren, in turn, developed the same for him.

At first, it started as a murmur but smoldered into a crackling roar between them. He, even in reflection, hardly understood when their mutual acquaintanceship became certainly more intimate, but Ren’s expression of gratitude for his help with Kitagawa shone earnestly in those dull gray eyes, and that bleak color blinded him like he had looked directly at the sun.

Blinded him so much that he didn’t remember going back to Leblanc that night after the arrest, and he definitely didn’t recall when he agreed to stay the night. But he did remember those lips meeting his own. Vividly he remembered the warmth that spread from his cheeks down to his stomach and the fluttering of his erratic heartbeat against his ribs.

It left him longing for something he could only assume as normality. So it wasn’t difficult to indulge in their encounters as the months waned on, even occupying the heated attic for moments of privacy that he savored even now. The thrill did not wear off; his longing did not fade.

They had seen each other several times since, not just in Leblanc, but in the mornings when they both caught the train. Goro felt another wave of shame about how much he enjoyed running into Ren, who, by now, insisted he call him by his first name, but he made it a routine to catch the train where he normally rode his bike to school. 

In even the briefest of moments, Ren raised Goro’s spirit to such heights that he felt it almost impossible to come down from that sensation. Ren bloomed some unspoken desire inside of him that made him crave for more. For the first time in his life, he felt  _ wanted _ for himself rather than for the glamour of his growing popularity in the media… or what powers loomed inside his heart. For the first time in his life, he could forget that his journey had an end, and that end was just a few months away.

In their quiet moments of opposition, they never agreed on matters that felt superficial once they retreated upstairs to the attic. As they both sat beside each other and drew closer, Goro’s mind blanked. Nothing else in the world mattered in those moments; his troubles paled in the fading sun and in heated breaths.

Truly they would never see eye to eye on the very group that brought them together, and in reality, Goro cared very little about that one particular stance. It was everything else about Ren that made him more fascinating than he could have ever imagined the moment he laid eyes on him on that spring evening when Sae brought him to Leblanc for the first time. But, of course, though their views differed and though it was painfully obvious now  _ why  _ Ren was so strongly for the Phantom Thieves, he still found himself jittery when he thought of him. It was a dangerous thing… thinking about him. The absence of the other’s company had left more of an impact than he thought. It should have been so easy, fading away from Ren… citing some heavy workload as a reason to create distance between the two of them. He found it had backfired: by being so detached, it spurred his curiosity of the other so much that it was consuming his waking thoughts. He longed for that feeling Ren left him with even still.

Even if he was going to be the one to kill him.

He shuddered at the thought and tabled it along with the crossword puzzle he was still attempting to concentrate on. It was an early fall day, the heat of the summer melting away into the most timid of chills of the changing seasons in the air, and sitting around his apartment, staring at his phone out of the corner of his eye was not helping to distract him. 

He decided it was a perfect day to ride his bike around Shibuya and maybe then his head would clear.

With one more glance stolen at the crossword puzzle, the clue for 9 across still taunting his idle interest, Goro slipped on his shoes and locked up his apartment, determined to make the most of the day. He didn’t have that many left, after all.

The brisk coolness of the autumn air was apparent as he rode through the backstreets for about an hour. He hadn’t stopped; the feeling of the wind whirling around him was far too addictive for him to even want to, despite the aching burn in his calves and the sweat gathering under his bangs. He had enough foresight to tie his hair back into a low ponytail before his ride and begrudgingly wished he had pinned back his bangs as well. Nonetheless, Goro took a deep breath and allowed himself to close his eyes for a moment or two and felt himself physically relax. He didn’t know quite where he was, some distance from his apartment in an area he wasn’t familiar with, but what did it really matter? He had missed cycling just for the hell of it. The only person with him in those moments was himself, and it was his only real time of indulgent serenity. Those moments belonged to him and him alone.

He had been so wrapped up in the sensation of gliding along the city that he failed to notice how dark it had become around him. The whipping of wind howling in his ears was enough to drown out the sound of thunder rolling over head. This was something he enjoyed greatly: a few quiet moments to himself with no schedule to follow, no calls to answer… this was the closest thing to freedom he could experience— riding his bike. It had been far too long since he had had the opportunity to do so. Only, even though this trek set out to be therapeutic, he couldn’t shake the doubt that clung to him. He was going to have to physically murder someone. His hands gripped the handlebars mercilessly. They had a plan, and his revenge was so close to being complete it would be pointless to throw it all away now. He had to make his move soon, as much as it conflicted him to do so. These thoughts that needled at him made him push his feet down harder on the pedals of his bike, causing him to skid around a corner quicker than he would have normally gone. Anything to keep the thoughts of shooting the person who made him feel something so—

There was a loud  _ pop _ that resonated more like a bang in that moment, like a pistol being fired. He jumped, his heart racing as his bicycle began to fall, his body with it. He hit the ground before the bike managed to. Goro caught himself from colliding completely with the ground, his gloved hand skidding the concrete before the pain of the impact caught up with him and he planted flat on the sidewalk. He cursed under his breath, shaking as he sat up and looked over at the bicycle that laid helplessly on its side. 

The back tire was blown out. 

He scowled and rubbed his wrist gingerly. Luckily, he hadn’t been going  _ that  _ fast or it could have been worse. He let out a sigh and scrambled to his feet, trying to keep his cool about the situation and also ignore the dull ache in his body. No one had seen him fall in the back alley he found himself in. He was fortunate in that regard as well; this was embarrassing. He picked up his bike up and stooped down to check his tire. Goro confirmed that the tread on his tire was far more worn down than he remembered it being, and the back alley he was in was a bit bumpy. It seemed it was too much for his bike to handle after such a long time of not using it. He had gotten used to riding the train, after all. Even in his last two weeks of avoiding Ren, he hadn’t quite kicked the habit of going to the station. And that was evident in the wobbly bike that he wheeled dejectedly to a small storefront to recollect himself. 

He let out a deep sigh and turned his attention to the maddeningly gray skies and cursed softly under his breath. He pulled out his phone to his navigation app and watched the compass spin. 

That’s what he got for trying fly with clipped wings. Even the small flight of freedom he gained from trying to ride was foiled. 

The adrenaline from the fall had worn off, leaving him trembling despite the melancholy he had found himself in. Finally, his phone pinged, and he couldn’t help but laugh a little as a gentle spray of raindrops littered his screen.

Fate would unconsciously lead him to Yongen-Jaya. Or perhaps his underlying desire to see Ren again.

He chalked it up to fate as he followed the GPS towards the cafe, a mere ten minutes away.

The rain was falling in sheets as he parked his bike, not bothering with the lock, and tried to make himself presentable. He hoped Ren wasn’t going to be there; maybe the storm that had rolled in had kept him away on this Sunday, exploring the spaceport or the number of odd jobs he seemed to have.

He took a deep breath and rubbed his aching wrist again before pressing into the cafe to avoid becoming too soaked.

And again, some deity somewhere must have been laughing at him because Ren’s gray gaze caught his own as soon as the bells rang from above his head.

“Welco– Oh,” There was the slightest of smiles on Ren’s face, and Goro wished he hadn’t even attempted to bike. His heart was hammering uncomfortably in his chest but he managed a feeble smile anyhow.

“Good day.” He offered, taking his usual seat at the bar, but doing his best to straighten out his damp cardigan as discreetly as possible.

“Long time no see. Did you want some coffee?” Ren asked quietly, settling right in front of Goro but not so close as to make him want to recluse from the situation. He took a deep breath and raised his head a bit, giving him a plastic smile.

“That’d be lovely. Could I have my usual?” he requested, removing his gloves to run his fingers through his hair to neaten it. He pointedly ignored the stinging in his palm that he hadn’t bothered to check just yet. Goro distracted himself instead with the thought of removing his ponytail, though he noticed now as his fingers skimmed his hair that it was almost completely soaked through. He settled for arranging his bangs hopelessly once he saw Ren’s back to him.

He cursed the situation in his head. He should have peeked in first to see if he was working. Then again, he couldn’t afford to get sick at this point in time either so… this was truly his only option.

A steaming cup of coffee was placed in front of him along with a slice of fluffy white cake topped with fresh strawberries.

He blinked and looked up at the face of the person he would soon have to entrap and kill, and the anxiety melted away in the warm atmosphere of the cafe and the look in Ren’s eyes. He swallowed hard.

“I didn’t order this,” he commented, clearing his throat so softly he barely heard himself over the roar of the rain. The barista leaned over the counter a bit more and set down a fork. 

“It’s on the house,” was all he said. Goro could see the smile climbing on Ren’s lips. He was far too happy he was here. If it was anyone else, the detective would have found it annoying, but it was rather endearing to him. It made him feel comfortable as he sank into the calm the cafe provided him.

“You’re too kind, but I couldn’t possibly accept it.” He sighed before taking the coffee and drinking it, letting the coffee soothe him with its bittersweet warmth.

“I already paid for it, so you might as well.”

Goro laughed softly and shook his head. “Maybe if you split it with me then, thank you.”

Ren only nodded and went back to doing dishes. He could tell he was regarding him with some caution; it was plain to see in the way Ren kept shooting him a glance and opening his mouth but saying nothing. Silence fell between them again, not that Goro really minded: he knew Ren was normally quiet, but there was obviously something the other wanted to ask him. And  _ that  _ was actually bothering him.

“What?” Goro finally asked, his tone even and polite. “Is there something wrong?”

Ren acted a bit surprised, tilting his head at him as he replaced the cups on the espresso machine. “No, why?”

“You look like you want to ask me a question.” 

Ren turned away from him quickly and focused on setting the cup in his hand perfectly balanced on two others. “A-ah,” he stammered. “I just haven’t seen you in a while. You said you’ve been busy with work, right?” 

Goro nodded but let Ren continue.

“I thought I made you mad somehow, which is why you weren’t coming around. I don’t know. I feel kinda dumb now for thinking that.”

The detective stared at him before letting out a soft laugh. “You thought I was mad at you? Oh, no,”  _ Yes, because you just had to be a Phantom Thief. _ “No, I’m sorry I ever gave that impression.”

He watched Ren take an exaggerated sigh of relief and couldn’t help but smile at it. 

“Good. I’m glad— I thought I was just being paranoid… I’ve been really busy too, so I don’t know why I was so worried.”

“I assure you, there’s nothing to worry about.”  _ Yet.  _ “I found myself having a day off and decided to go for a bike ride. I suppose I should have checked the weather first. I actually ended up here by accident, but I’m pleased with the result.”

He wasn’t pleased by the result at all. Ren still saw him when he was, for lack of a better term, a mess. 

However, Ren’s ever-widening smile made his frustrations vanish like the steam of the coffee he was still nursing. He had seen that look before, in their more quiet moments that usually happened in the attic above where they sat now… and it often graced Ren’s face after a particularly long kiss.

Relief.

Suddenly, Ren ducked down behind the counter and grabbed a folded hand towel and passed it over to Goro. He graciously took it, knowing now that ever since he walked in, Ren had been probably wanting to offer it but wanted to tread lightly around him since he thought he had upset him. It was kind of endearing.

“Thank you.” He stood up and moved into the bathroom to dry off the excess water that clung to his clothes. He carefully untied his hair and patted it as much as he could before deciding it was best to leave it tied up. It was far too messy to leave it down.

When he came out, Ren was sitting on the other side of the counter beside his chair, drinking a cup of coffee himself. Goro allowed himself to stare at him and shook his head ever so slightly. He was an idiot for coming, but he couldn’t say he was mad he did. Against the dull splash of colors that filtered through Leblanc’s door and windows, Ren looked absolutely serene in the warm colors of the cafe itself. Not at all like what he would assume a Phantom Thief would be, Ren was quiet but not aloof, simple but not dull. He was a wonderful medley of hidden meaning and depth while being perfectly unassuming.

He hated to admit that he missed him. It was a fruitless thought after all; this thing between them would be done in the matter of a month.

Nonetheless, Goro sat down right beside him and continued to bask in his company like there wasn’t a problem.

“You’ll have to teach me how to ride a bike properly sometime.” Ren mused like Goro never went to the bathroom to freshen up, picking up on the conversation instantly.

Goro raised an eyebrow. “You don’t know how to ride a bike?”

“Oh, sure I do.” Ren waved his hand gently in the air, emphasizing his point. “I know how to wobble and fall over like an expert.”

The detective all but snorted into his coffee as he laughed. He covered his mouth to suppress it, the drink catching in his throat and burning until he coughed into his hand. Then the pain from the impact hit him again and he couldn’t help but flinch.

“I didn’t think it was that funny.” Ren pouted, setting his coffee cup down.

“I’m fine— I’m fine.” Goro coughed still and cleared his throat. Ren poured him a glass of water and Goro took it, drinking it down greedily with a satisfied sigh.

“Are you?”

He nodded.

Ren’s hand took his own and turned his palm up to see the angry, splotchy skid mark speckled with dirt and debris.

“Ah—” He snatched his hand away. “It’s nothing. My tire popped on my ride. My fault for not remembering the treads were so low.”

“Oh, you’re an expert at the wobble and fall, too?”

“Don’t worry, I’m not interested in being your competition.” Goro jabbed back at him.

“Oh, phew, it’s the only thing I got going for me some days.” Ren teased before getting back up. “Hold on, I’ll get a first aid kit.”

“You really don’t have to.”

Ren didn’t say anything, but returned a few moments later from the kitchen and began doctoring up Goro’s hand carefully.

He watched in pure fascination. The knit of Ren’s brows was pronounced as his glasses slipped down his nose unknowingly. He gently cleaned away the lingering dirt with the kindest of touches and brought his hand up to his mouth to blow on the antiseptic. Goro didn’t breathe as he continued to watch him work. 

“It’s really okay,” was all he could manage to say. Ren just ignored him and applied some cream to the scuff before sealing it with a liquid bandage of sorts.

“There,” he pronounced proudly, putting all the supplies away with satisfaction. 

“You didn’t have to do that.” Goro murmured, trying desperately to calm his heartbeat down.

“You’d have done the same for me, so yeah… I wanted to.” 

This was exactly why Amamiya Ren was so detrimental to him. He made him want to believe there was something more to life than his revenge. He made him want to believe in hope for the future, that there was some small part of him that could override the rest… one small part that made him want to feel, to connect to another person in the most intimate of ways.

He made him want to believe that even someone as undesirable as him could be loved for who he was. Rather… who Ren thought he was.

And he wanted desperately to be that person.

He wanted so desperately to believe that he would have done the same for Ren if their positions were reversed. But he couldn’t be so sure. Doubt clouded him like the storm that had since passed overhead.

“You have such faith in me,” he mumbled, taking Ren’s hand in his own. 

“I mean, you’re a decent person, Goro. There’s no doubt in my mind you’d do the same, so don’t worry so much.”

Goro nodded. “Perhaps…” He mulled over the thought before turning his attention solely on Ren. “Do you ever have a place you go to be alone with your thoughts? Like, someplace to just escape it all and think? Riding around town helps me a lot, and I have a lot on my mind right now.”

It was Ren’s turn to raise his eyebrow and think for a moment. “Yeah, I do. I have a lot of things going on myself. Feel like I’m going crazy and I want to throw my phone out the window.” He chuckled and Goro understood the feeling immediately.

“Like you could shut off your phone and never look at it again?”

“That’s it.” Ren laughed. “Yeah, wish I could do that sometimes. If it’s not people wanting to talk to me about their problems, it’s work, and if it’s not work then it’s school and homework.” He prattled on, and Goro couldn’t help but relate to it. “I don’t mind helping my friends, I love helping them, I just get overwhelmed sometimes, you know?”

“Right. I know exactly how that is.” Goro sighed and leaned on his free hand that wasn’t clenching Ren’s. “What do you do then? Any tips?”

Ren thought for a moment, sitting straighter on his stool. “Tips? I’m an expert in falling off bikes and dodging teachers throwing chalk at me in class. I’m not so knowledgeable on stress handling but… there is a place.”

Goro’s interest was piqued.

“It’s probably a bit wet though.” He watched Ren’s eyes dart to look behind where Goro sat before returning to his face.

“Oh, you don’t have to show me.”

“What fun would that be if I didn’t?” There was a glint behind those fake glasses that made the detective’s heart soar.

A few minutes later, Ren was ushering Goro upstairs to his attic bedroom. He had watched with mild interest as the other flipped the store sign to  _ closed _ and grabbed the untouched piece of cake from the counter where it had been left.

“Is there some magical part of your bedroom I haven’t seen yet?” The detective scoffed in a lighthearted manner.

“I mean, there’s the bed, which is always magical and open to you.” Ren shot back and Goro swallowed hard and rolled his eyes.

“That was really lame.”

“Yeah… I don’t know why I said that. Please forget it.”

They climbed the steps together, and Ren climbed onto the bed almost instantly before wrenching open the window.

“What are you doing?” Goro asked as Ren felt around the edge of the window. 

“Showing you what I do when I need some time away from it all,” he remarked simply as if he just announced what his favorite color was, rather than insinuating some absurd trek.

Goro easily identified what Ren was doing.

“There’s an easy way to get to the roof. Watch me.”

And just like that, Ren was gone. Goro’s stomach dropped, and he quickly rushed to the window to see Ren on the balcony of the next neighbor over. They were only an arm’s distance apart really. 

“Hey, pass me that cake would you?” Ren asked, and Goro obliged hastily. 

“Don’t fall.”

“Oh no, never. Just with bikes.” Ren aimed the box of cake up to the roof and threw it. Above him, Goro heard a soft thud and stared as the other boy pushed himself up onto the neighbor’s roof then crossed over to Leblanc’s. 

“Okay, your turn,” he heard from above him. What a delinquent, going up to the roof to get away from the world.

He took a deep breath before following Ren’s route carefully. He was used to the Metaverse, he knew how to transverse the most difficult of tertains with relative ease… but this terrified him for some reason. He pulled himself onto the neighboring balcony from the red and white awning below Ren’s window and climbed up on the roof from the ledge just as Ren had. Ren was already set up on the flat part of the roof before it gently slanted up. Luckily enough, there was plenty of room to sit without feeling like they both were going to fall off.

And fortunately it wasn’t terribly wet. He sat down beside Ren just as the other was opening the box of cake he had thrown earlier.

“It’s not that pretty anymore, but help me eat it.” He motioned to the cake and Goro couldn’t help but smile.

“Alright.” He leaned up against the rooftop and took a forkful of cake that Ren had given him. It was alright on its own, he wasn’t really a fan of cakes like this, but sharing it here felt… like a different experience entirely. He wasn’t so concerned with the texture and look of it…

But if he had to rank it on a scale of worst to best… it was easily the best piece of cake he had ever had in his life.

But he didn’t think it had anything to do with the taste.

“It isn’t as cool as riding a bike,” Ren offered after a moment of silence. “But it’s all I have right now when things get too tough. Especially at sunset… reminds me of home somehow.”

Goro listened intently as he took another small bite of cake.

“Do you miss it? Home?”

“Sort of… I think I miss the idea of it rather than the actual place, if that makes sense.” 

He nodded softly. “I think I understand. Sometimes being displaced from a person or place for a long period of time makes you exaggerate the things you miss rather than the actual reality of the situation.” He understood all too well, though he doubted he would ever elaborate to Ren about his mother. 

“Yeah… It makes me wonder sometimes if any of it was even real.” 

“Like what?” 

Ren sighed deeply and Goro put his fork down in the cake box to listen without distractions.

“Like my friends on the swim team really being my friends… my dad’s cooking really being that great, the air being that clean— if I was ever this lonely before. It’s gotten better over the months, but the first few here were… horrible.”

Goro bit his lip in thought and crossed his arms over his chest, trying not to let that last bit impede on his nerves. Ren had always been surrounded by people since Goro first laid eyes on him, and people who obviously cared about him. He had barely anyone in his life and couldn’t help the small bout of jealousy that boiled inside of him.

He quelled it swiftly.

“You have a lot of friends here, though, Sojiro’s cooking is excellent… I can’t say anything for the air quality but you do have—”

“Goro.” 

At the sound of his name being spoken so softly, he almost jumped. Ren was a lot closer than he recalled and resting his shoulder on Goro’s own, staring at him.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have trivialized your problems; I just was making a parallel to your experiences here maybe mirroring your’s back home. But these experiences are real, Ren, no? I hope you don’t feel the same way when you have to go back, is all.”

“Like none of this was ever real? I hope not. It’s been a rough year, but I’ve been happier than I thought I’d ever be.”

Guilt washed over him.

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“What about you?”

“It’s just a lot of work things,” Goro started off, trying not to focus too much on his own problems. “It’s just a bit overwhelming and about to get a lot harder.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Ren frowned at him. “I’ll have to bribe you over with coffee and cake every now and then.”

The detective laughed. “If you think that’s the way to bait me. I won’t say no to curry if I can help it.”

“Duly noted.” Ren laughed also and Goro felt… peaceful. Ren’s spot overlooking the businesses of Yongen-jaya was a perfect escape. Though he had the feeling it had something to do with the boy sitting right next to him… his adversary and his… 

“Well,  _ I’m _ glad you came over today. I missed you a lot.” Ren interjected, making Goro lose his train of thought.

“I think… I’m glad I came over too.” Those grey eyes stared directly into his own before they closed, Ren’s face inched towards his own and Goro couldn’t help but close the distance between them in a kiss he didn’t know he so desperately wanted. His heart stammered loudly in his chest and resonated in his ears as warmth spread over him like he had just drank fresh coffee. He clenched Ren’s shirt, pulling him closer and giving into the temptation of comfort Ren brought to him. Even if it was just for another day, another week… another month.

It was worth it. Ren was always worth it.

Ren wrapped an arm around him and held Goro tighter still, taking the opportunity to slide his tongue passed the detective’s parting lips. The detective trailed his fingertips over the thief’s cheek and down his neck, taking hold of his shoulder to anchor himself. Their tongues danced around each other, exploring sweetly the taste of both coffee and cake until Ren’s hand was firmly gripping Goro’s hair and Goro was digging his fingers tightly into the white v-neck Ren seemed so fond of.

They broke the kiss with a heavy pant and separated to breathe deeply the moist air. Goro hastily dabbed his mouth with his palm and Ren just shot him a sheepish grin.

“Want to get down? I think my room is more comfortable for this… kind of thing.”

“Oh? The magical place that’s always open for me?” Goro breathed out with a sly smirk. He watched Ren’s face flush a pretty shade of pink and heard him mutter ‘shut up’ under his breath.

Regardless, Goro couldn’t help but accept the invitation.

Back in Ren’s room, Goro greeted the bed like an old friend and found himself again distracted from the thoughts plaguing his mind as Ren touched him with his long, deft fingers. They both explored each other; thoughts of anything outside of this room didn’t exist in those moments of pleasure where Ren’s usually quiet mouth showed that brazen side of him that Goro found so intriguing. Goro, usually so filled with words and information to share, found himself reduced to simple moans of admiration and praise that made Ren work faster. It was nothing short of worship for both of them. Some unspoken secret between them where they both knew at least some secret part of the other manifested in passionate kisses and bites, to laughs and groans of each other’s names.

The lines between them didn’t matter anymore.

None of it mattered anymore.

Not until the next morning when Goro finally got back home to the quiet prison of his apartment littered with paperwork and half read novels. He wheeled his bike back after Ren made him an early breakfast before his guardian got in, and locked it up in the spot in front of his apartment building. It was hard leaving, especially since he didn’t know how many more moments like that awaited them both… but he didn’t find that he regretted their time together. Not in the least. It was comforting to know, even just a little bit, that there was someone he could relate to. And that person being Ren made it feel even more special, even if it was doomed from the very start.

He sat down on his sofa, sighing deeply before looking through his phone. No messages, no missed calls. Another day of nothing really to distract him. However, he felt better somehow…

He got up to get himself some water and take a shower when he caught a glance of the crossword puzzle that was still thrown where it was before—

_ 9 across, seeking peace and comfort with another _

Goro closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh before grabbing a pen and filling in the blank space that had been taunting him for so long. With that, he grabbed a fresh towel and began to get ready for the day, allowing himself to cling to the memories… knowing that every single one of the positive ones he made were just as real as he remembered them to be.

And that was good enough.

_ Solace. _


End file.
